New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-02-09
ANOTHER RAI LROAD HORROR.
Several Coaches Of a Railroad Train
Go Off Bridge Near Wood
stock, Vermont.
The Wreck Immediately Takes Fire
and Helpless Passengers are Burned
to Death.

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt, Feb 5.-The
express train that left Boston at z O'clock
last night met with terrible accident near
Woodstock, on the Central Vermont railroad,
at about 2:3O o'clock this morning The
train was detained here so it was about an
hour and half late when it left here. It
consisted Of locomotive, baggage car,
postal car, two passenger coaches and two
sleeping cars, and was running at the usual
rate OF speed When about 200 yards south
Of the end of the deck bridge near the old
Windsor station a broken rail was struck
The locomotive, baggage car and postal car
broke away from the rest of the train, pass
ing over the bridge in safety. The rest Of
the train was thrown from the rails and con-
tinued on the road-bed until it came near
the end of the bridge, but there it ran over
the abutment and all of the cars fell into the
White river, fifty feet below. The gorge at
this point is frightful, and when the cars
went down there was q terrible crash.
As soon as possible the detached
part OF the train was stopped
and ran back to the scene of
the disaster. The screams of the in iured
were heartrending. Assistance also came
1SOk'AS
everything was done to rescue and relieve
the injured. Soon after help arrived it was
discovered that fire had started in the first
passenger COACH and soon the entire train
was ablaze, thus adding a new horror Those
present were powerless to stop the fire, and
devoted themselves entirely to attempts to
rescue those imprisoned in the wreck. The
rescuers met another and unexpected obsta-
ole in the heat, which had become so intense
that they were obliged to relinquish their
efforts to save the sufferers, and were COM
PEELED to retreat to a place Of safety for
themselves, and to become unwilling wit
nesses OF the awful holocaust In addition,
the weather was intensely cold, and the he
roic rescuers were hindered thereby in their
work. No water could be obtained with
Which to check or extnguish the flames
The Ice was several inches thick on the
river: and there were no appliances at hand
to raise it,
The accident is the most terrible of any
that ever occurred in Northern New En-
gland Charles w. HOsmer of Lowell Mass,
who was on the TRAM states that he was in
Central Vermont sleeping car He says:
j. t can remember ,1s twenty PASSENGERS who were
among them. was awakened by the humping
OF the car. Then came the crash and all was
found myself pinned down by i seat IT. which WITCH
lay across my hips, but broke the window and
Worked myself out on to the ice. I should think
cars were also on the ice, having broken away
from the forward part Of the train. gen
tleman who occupied the berth next to
succeeded in extricating him. Mrs. Pryden of
Montreal was in the ruins and underneath me,
and we saved her 1t was necessary to tear her
son to get out. Mr. Hutchins of Braintrce.
VT, escaped and assisted in saving others.
worked until I was so chilled could do nothing
fire, and amid the swirling flames, those who
were unable to escape could be seen in the en-
brace Of death. could see the imprisoned
Out OF the Twenty-Five in my car, I personally
know that nine, at least. were saved. 7 saw two
OF those in my car in the flames. remember q
in Boston. He was accompanied by lady. He
was saved, but his companion was lost.
/. SOME OF The INCIDENTS
arms on the bank OF the river, both dead
The body Of Pullman Conductor Burgess
was one Of the first taken out 1t was not
badly lnutilated The remains Of the porter
OF one OF the cars was identified BY his
clothing and watch The body Of a. L.
Wesson was identified tonight In the
pocket of a blue dress coat was found let
ter written upon letterhead OF O. W. San
ford, agent OF the Moxie Nerve Food COM
panv. dated Washington, D. c., Dec. 80, and
addressed to Dear Charles. The body of the
esero1s ppd Is so axs nT r sney
men to have been that of Charles w.
Sanford, formerly in the employ of s.
9 Chase { &c. Ct Boston. He was in the
Bosom Pull..an car A coat belonging to
Charles A Hibaid Of Boston was found.
Miss 2. Il. Follett CT Sharon, Vt, proves not
trs aaye been seriously injured. Most of the
BODIES recovered Wlsre taken to the village
OF Hartford and place1 in an undertaker's
e Enlistment Thrty-1fne bodies in all
have Leep taken out Of the wreck, and only
i've OF this number are i'll any manner
recognizable. It will be impossible to tell
how many We're in the train, as the con-
ductor had only begun taking UP tickets
after leaving here. Many bodies have prob
ably gone into the river and under the ice.
WORSE AND WORSE.
AT this hour (midnight) thirty nine bodies
in all have been recovered from the wreck,
and 1T is positively known that AZ persons
persisted. One of the wrecked cars on the
ice has not yet been overhauled, and it is
thought at least twenty bodies are in the de
bris. Should this prove true it will run the
l!sy OF killed up to over sixty. This
will not include those which may
have been carried into the river through the
ice. The latest commit tatOn as to the num-
Der OF persons on the train places it at over
one hundred. When the last car on the ice
u. ovarhauled tomorrow and further
identification takes pace, a more complete
list viii be obtainable, although tits thought
that score OF the bodies already recovered
are 50 disfgured as to preclude any possibil-
sby OF Identification. Many of the surviv-
ors viii pronabiy die OF their wounds.
tonsiderin. the he ghU from which the cars
fell and the .speed with which the train was
cumming, it is II garded as a miracle that any
one escaped. The first passenger to escape
was q nh MaiqueJ. a French Canadian
hoy: He was with his father,
Duyid Marque5, on The way from
llinlroke to their homes in Canada
The boy SAT three seats behind his father. in
he third car from the rear. He
was doing in his seat when
he felt the cars shiver. In this
q few seconds The car dashed over the bridge
upon the ice By hard work the boy got out
OF one of the windows He at once went in
search OF his father and discovered
min by the lightsof the burning wreck just
above him, 1.inned down by part of the top
Of che car, winch had fallen directly across
.Aas chest and legs. The old man was as
firmly he'd as if ina wise Joseph was